One tends to associate history with serious modes of presentation rather than with humorous ones. Yet Clio also smiles and laughs out loud: Comic renderings of historical events and figures have made a significant contribution to popular history since around 1800. This volume offers case studies on history and humour in Britain and the US from 1800 to the present, discussing various historical topics, actors and events from the Middle Ages to the recent past.

Histories for the Many examines the contribution of illustrated family magazines to Victorian historical culture. How, by whom, for whom and with which intentions was history used within this popular medium? How were class, gender, age, religion, and space debated? How were academic and popular approaches to the past linked to the materiality of the medium? The focus is set on the evangelical Leisure Hour with comparisons to the London Journal, Good Words and Cornhill. The study's approach to the serialisation of history in text and image combines periodical studies and book history with concepts from cultural studies, sociology as well as narratology.